This issue opens with a health article on Hypnosis by FJMC Past Regional President Sandy Victor.  By describing how hypnosis works and what it can and cannot do, his article should help us assess if this life tool might help each of us.  Have you experienced hypnosis as therapy or entertainment?  Todays hypnosis is not the toy of the 20th Century.
 
Wealth Editor Gary Smith keeps us focused on investing today with an article on Fear Meltup and the Markets.  Gary’s spirited analysis is inspiring to several investment clubs including one at Temple Emeth in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
 
The next issue will present an important article about Autism in Adults by Dr. Sanjeev V. Kothare.  This article, in addition to exploring autism in our society, helps up focus on other situations which are keeping many young people from independent lives and profoundly affecting the lives of their parents.   Please share your experiences in this realm with your fellow men’s club members.

Be sure to be in touch with Richard Gray, Editor, at rgray@fjmc.org with your articles, comments, appreciation and critiques. Each issue is brought to you by your editorial staff that includes:

• Richard Gray (Editor in Chief)
• Steven Mandel MD (Medical Editor)
• Gary Smith (Wealth Editor)
• Mark Druy (Publisher)

This HWR was sent out on , at approximately 10:00 PM (Eastern and prior to Shabbat).

I am writing this article as a practicing hypnotist focusing mostly on personal improvement matters.  I am not recommending the use of hypnosis to diagnose, prescribe or treat any medical condition.  This is the purview of physicians and mental health professionals and it is a good idea to consult with one to identify the root cause of the problem. There is minimal risk with hypnosis, this does not mean there in zero risk.

Many people think of hypnosis as an escapee from a comedy club used to make people look silly and foolish.  Others see it as a sinister plot device in B grade movies to be used by some evil person to control others as part of some nefarious scheme.  However, in reality is a powerful tool to help people deal with all kinds of issues to improve their lives.  It was approved by the American Medical Association as a form of treatment back in 1958 (later rescinded) and by the American Psychological Association in 1960.

What is Hypnosis – The Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association defines hypnosis as: A state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion.  Hypnosis in some ways is like a group of Rabbis discussing some text.  They all have opinions but nobody agrees.  There are many theories of what is happening when somebody is hypnotized. As there is no such thing as a hypnosis meter to tell if or when a person is in hypnosis, it is hard to verify what exactly is happening to the individual.  My preferred way to look at hypnosis is to break the mind down into two parts – the Conscious and the Unconscious/Subconscious.  The Conscious Mind handles the duties of looking, listening, learning, reasoning, judging, analyzing, criticizing and accepting or rejecting information from your surroundings.  The Unconscious/Subconscious Mind runs all bodily functions, stores all memory and will act out any image, idea or concept that you allow to be put into it.  In other words, your Conscious Mind takes in what it is being presented with (like reading this article) and decides if this makes sense before acting on it.  The Unconscious Mind is kind of like a computer running programs in the background.  You do not consciously deal with the mechanics of walking (lift the right foot, move it forward, put it down, repeat with the left foot, etc.) You just decide consciously where you want to walk.  Going into a hypnotic state is to turn off some of the Conscious Mind. The more of the Conscious Mind that is turned off, the “deeper” into hypnosis they go.  With the Conscious Mind not screening the input, it is easier for the individual along with the hypnotist to “reprogram” the Unconscious Mind to change habits, thought processes or behaviors.

Hypnosis Fact and Fiction – Many people have opinions of what hypnosis is or is not.  Hypnosis is not mind control.  A hypnotized person does not blindly do whatever their hypnotist tells them to do. A hypnotized person knows exactly what is going on and will accept or reject suggestions given to them as they feel is appropriate.  A hypnotized person will not do anything to violate their moral or ethical principles. For example, you cannot hypnotize an honest person to rob a bank.  During a stage show, where the hypnotized person knows the purpose of the show is for entertainment, and barking like a dog does not violate their moral principles, they will probably do it.  While stage hypnosis can be entertaining, it tends to show hypnosis in a rather sketchy manner and overshadow in the general public’s mind of its benefits in helping improve the lives of individuals.  Another misconception is that you can be made to tell secrets when in hypnosis, which is not true.  Yet another misconception is that you can get stuck in hypnosis.  This too is incorrect.  Many people love the feeling of complete relaxation that comes with hypnosis that they don’t want to return to normal consciousness but they cannot get stuck there.

Hypnosis & Meditation - Hypnosis and mediation overlap each other. Meditation is an altered state in which the goal is to typically obtain a state of near complete mental relaxation. Hypnosis on the other hand, is an altered state where the goal is to modify behaviors/thoughts in the awakened state by changing thought processes while in this altered mental state.

What does it feel like to be in hypnosis – Generally, when in hypnosis a person is very relaxed physically and mentally.  The most common reference point of mental relaxation is falling asleep. When you try to fall asleep, you try to let you mind slow way down.  Hypnosis is much like that except you stop short of actually falling asleep.  When you are in hypnosis you are awake and aware of your surroundings but may not care to interact with your surroundings. Have you ever been watching a show or listening to music so intently that you do not hear somebody calling your name?  That is essentially the same feeling as being in hypnosis.

What can hypnosis do for you? – The list of issues that hypnosis can help people with is very long.  I will touch on a few of them that are identified in health literature. Diagnosing or treating a medical condition should be, overseen or administered by a physician or mental health professional.  Hypnosis may be recommended by them.

• Habit control – modifying habits like overeating, making poor diet choices, smoking, nail biting, addictions
• Pain management – migraines, child birth, surgical or dental procedures
• Stress management – releasing stress, insomnia
• Fears and phobias – overcoming all types of fear related issues, stage fright
• Improve athletic performance – sports performance for individuals or teams
• Increase self-esteem or self-confidence – improve self-image, sales person’s attitudes, image projection
• Improve sexual issues – male or female performance issues
• Memory and academic performance –recall lost memories although false memories could also be recalled, improve study habits and test taking skills, improve concentration
• And many more.

Seeing a hypnotist or hypnotherapist is often the last resort of many individuals.  “I have tried everything and nothing works so I am desperate enough to consider hypnosis” is a commonly seen attitude.  In reality, hypnosis is one of the first things that should be tried both for non-medical conditions and for medical conditions under the oversight of a medical or mental health professional.  It is safe and involves no drugs yet helps a large number of people with a wide range of issues.  One of the reasons to involve a medical professional is that the underlying cause of the issue may not be recognized as soon as desirable for necessary medical intervention.

In future articles, we will examine in more detail how hypnosis can help people deal with the various issues identified above.

Sandy Victor

Sandy is a Certified Hypnotist/Hypnotherapist by the National Guild of Hypnotists in a private practice.  He is located in Buffalo Grove, IL, and have been doing hypnosis for over 40 years mainly for personal improvement matters.  For more information, contact him at - sandy_victor@hotmail.com, www.SandyVictorHypnosis.com and (847) 634-1376.

"Markets often rise higher than you think is possible, and fall lower than you can possibly imagine.”  The legendary Jim Rogers

So what is going on these days. So many of us are fearful after the December Massacre, the worst December since 1933.

Is this a portend of things to come?    For now, I believe the melt up is in place. We had a significant drop in the market related to the trade war, the shutdown, and interest rate fears among other things.  One could argue that all the bad news is out.  When is the best time to buy? When everyone else is fearful.

Everyone is fearful. That was my signal to buy cautiously.  I picked out the companies I really wanted in December, researched them and waited for the right times to buy.  The best time to buy is when it hurts to pull the trigger. The worst time to buy is when you are euphoric and everyone else is making money.  The reality is really nothing changed.  The economy is doing well the yield curve is flatter but not inverted.

In the short term I have invested. We have received good news from interest rates that are not going to be raised, and positive news on the tariffs.   If the shutdown ends it will be a positive sign for the markets. We are also observing positive movement in transportations, financials, and smaller companies.

Indicators of the market melt up or potential losses:

• Small Stocks - if small cap stocks are 5% below their highs when the S&P is at all time highs, this can be a signal of negative news
• Transportations - when goods are moving around and airlines hit new highs this is a positive sign
• Financial Stocks - watch for warning signs
• Equal Weight Index- This index tells us if most stocks are moving higher, or if only a few large companies are pulling the overall index higher.

There are many other factors, but I thought these give a useful overview of the markets.

Further the market just exited correction territory.  Earning season is here and if companies are doing well the market will continue to move higher.  However, a negative is still the residuals from the recent shutdown and a potential future shutdown. These will have a long term effect on stock prices and could send us into recession.

Remember markets will go higher than anyone thought possible and fall lower than you can possibly imagine.  Your best defense against a down market is cash, proper asset allocation, and proper position sizing.  Keeping cash is critical. Put dollars into different industries so that if one goes down it will be offset by other rising.  Do not put too much into any one stock or industry.  Invest in quality dividend stocks as a part of your portfolio. There is opportunity for everyone to make money.  Check the trends, buy when the markets are fearful and it hurts, and sell when you get too euphoric. 

I hope this is a helpful tip.  This tip is strictly from personal observations, personal experience from a lay person’s perspective.

For any questions please let me know at gsmith@fjmc.org. Also, please remember to  consider your legacy and how you want to be remembered.  Gary is Chairman of the FJMC Foundation for Jewish Life and would be excited to speak with you about this financial tip as well as considering giving back to FJMC by becoming a fellow of Foundation. If interested in seeing what Foundation does please visit our new website at www.Foundation.fjmc.org.

This issue is prepared by a bunch of guys who are continuing to GIVE BACK to FJMC.  We invite you to also give back to FJMC through your participation and most importantly through donations supporting FJMC as Friends of FJMC.  Participate by clicking on “Become a Friend of FJMC” on www.FJMC.org or contact Gary Smith at gsmith@fjmc.org.

Send your comments to Richard Gray at rgray@fjmc.org.  We want to hear from you. HWR is a publication of the FJMC.

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